Poisonous Friends
by 17seconds
Summary: Legolas is poisoned and Faramir is the one accused. But who really did it? The story takes place in Gondor after the War of the Ring.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: His Greatest Desire**

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings books, characters, world, and plot belong to J. R. R. Tolkien. I'm writing this for fun, not money.

Author's Note: This story takes place after shortly after the War of the Ring.

_A few weeks earlier:_

Faramir sat in the library of Minas Tirith. The book he was reading had been brought back by the soldiers who had been sent to search the Tower of Orthanc(1) for any more of Saruman's dark magic. They had not found anything dangerous, but had discovered a library filled with ancient texts from long ago. Those texts included the one Faramir, always an avid learner, was currently studying, Laws and Customs Among the Eldar written by a scholar named J. R. R. Tolkien(2).

He was studying it intently enough that he didn't hear the soft footsteps behind him. Nor did he sense the other presence in the library until that presence spoke.

"What are you reading?" Legolas questioned, startling Faramir.

He whipped his head around and stood to address the fair elven prince.

"Nothing," he replied swiftly, uncomfortable in the presence of a member of the race which he had previously only known through stories.

"That is, it is just one of the books recovered at Orthanc," he quickly amended, realizing his previous reply had sounded exceedingly rude.

The prince's eyebrows rose as he caught a glimpse of the cover of the book held in Faramir's hand.

"Laws and Customs Among the Eldar," he read. "Surely you can think of a better source of such knowledge than this," he paused for a moment to glance at the cover again, "J.R.R. Tolkien?"

His voice was slightly teasing.

Faramir hesitated, unsure how to respond to the elf's teasing.

Mentally he cursed himself. Elessar had just announced a few days ago that he planned to grant both Prince Legolas and Faramir himself pieces of land in Ithilien. They were equals, Faramir reminded himself firmly. He would have to grow accustom to speaking to the Elven Prince.

Faramir smiled at him uncertainly. "I would not dream of bothering anyone over such trivial things. I have been curious about elves since I was a child and was simply entertaining myself."

He could immediately feel his face grow warm. It was true that he had always been fascinated by the elves. They were the tales he had loved best when his governess had told Boromir and him bedtime stories as children. He had particularly loved legends of the mysterious Mirkwood and the arcane Elvenking who ruled there. The libraries of Minas Tirith were extensive, but while they contain much knowledge of the Noldor and the folk of Lothlorien, there was very little information about the forest of Mirkwood. This was due to the seclusion and secretiveness of the elves who dwelt their. The forest's inhabitants rarely left it and few foreigners were permitted to enter the trees' boughs.

As a child, the elusiveness of the forest had captivated Faramir, and he wished to know more about it. That was what had inspired him to search the books found at Orthanc in hopes of learning more. Although, even those ancient texts contained little concerning the then green wood.

However, he was embarrassed to admit his curiosity now that the prince of that forest was before him.

"I see," Prince Legolas replied. "I can certainly understand that. In my youth I had been very curious about the race of men. Men were never permitted in the forest near the stronghold, so I had never even seen one until I was of age." He smiled slightly. "My _Adar_(3) could not comprehend it. He thought me mad to want anything to do with men."

Faramir was stunned. Indeed he quite agreed with the Prince's father. He could not see how the fair elf would find anything interesting about the race of men.

Legolas seemed to sense his thoughts. "Elves are unchanging." He explained. "The years pass us by and each is the same as the last. Men, on the other hand, are unpredictable. They have often surprised me by their strength in dark times and by their valour."

Faramir pondered that for a moment. He could understand why an elf who lived forever would long for change. He had never considered that before.

"Now tell me this," Legolas requested. "What reason have you for your curiosity of elves?"

"I had never met an elf before you." Faramir responded cautiously. "I had heard stories of elves as a child though, and those had always interested me. I was especially fascinated by the mysteriousness of the elves of Mir-Greenwood." Faramir quickly corrected himself. He had heard Gimli calling the forest that degrading name the previous day. He had also heard Prince Legolas' vehement response. "Not much seems to be known about them, and that intrigued me."

Legolas considered that reply. The shadow had plagued his home for many _yen_(4). As the forest grew dark the Elvenking had grown more suspicious of foreigners and leery of threats to his realm. Strangers had not been allowed into the stronghold, unless bound and blinded, since the beginning of the Third Age(5). He could see how the forest would be seen as mysterious and secretive by outsiders. (6)

"It has been a long time since strangers have been permitted to visit the Great Halls of the Elvenking." Legolas finally replied, reliving Faramir. The Prince had been contemplating long enough that Faramir had began to worry that he had offended him. "I see how that secrecy would rouse your curiosity. Perhaps now that the Shadow has been conquered that secrecy will no longer be necessary."

Faramir smiled. As the conversation continued he was beginning to feel more comfortable around the ethereal being. "I hope that it is so. To visit the Greenwood in person is my greatest desire."

A knock at the library's door captured the attention of both elf and man, as a young page entered the library. "Lord Faramir," he said tentatively, looking around. "The king has requested your presence in the Great Hall."

Faramir nodded his acquiescence to that request. He turned to the Prince. "It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Prince Legolas."

"It has been a pleasure for me as well. However, if we are going to be ruling Ithilien together as equals, then there is no need for titles between us." He responded.

Faramir's smile widened. He would have no problems working with this fair elf. In fact, he had a feeling that they would not just be equals. They would also be friends.

As Faramir left, the young page, Costron(7), remained. His eyes narrowed as he glared at the elf for a long moment. The boy's father was a captain in the king's guard, and was one of many soldiers who had fought valiantly against Sauron. Costron had often heard his father complain about the elves. He had heard how the unnatural beings craved power and longed to take control of all of Arda. This elf in particular had already ensorcelled King Elessar into giving him and his kin a large piece of land in Ithilien. It sickened the young boy to think that the land his father and other great men had fought for would be taken over by those sorcerers.

Legolas gazed calmly at the young one, unimpressed by his glare. He had met many men who feared and despised his kind. This misguided youth did not frighten him one bit.

Author's Notes

1. The Tower of Orthanc is in Isengard. It's the tower where Saruman lived.

2. Laws and Customs Among the Eldar are a collection of essays written by J.R.R. Tolkien that are included in the book Morgoth's Ring which was written by Christopher Tolkien after his father's death.

3. _Adar_ is Sindarin for Father.

4. A _yen_ is the equivalent to 144 years.

5. The Third Age begins after the Last Alliance.

6. My perception of the seclusion of Mirkwood is based more off the Hobbit movies than the books. I may have exaggerated it a bit by saying that foreigners weren't brought to Mirkwood except as prisoners, but it's important to the plot later on.

7. According to the website I used Cost is Sindarin, which most Gondorian names are, and means quarrel. The ending -ron is a masculine form of doer. So the name means quarreller.

I'm not very good with grammar so sorry about any errors. Also, I have read the books, but it was awhile ago so most of the story is based off of the movies and doesn't fit perfectly with what happens in the books. Please review and let me know what you think.


	2. The Coming of the Elves

Chapter 1: The Coming of the Elves

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy belongs to J. R. R. Tolkien. I'm writing this for fun, not money.

Faramir sat stiffly in his chair. Since, his initiation as steward he had been spending every spare second with the king and his council managing the affairs of the kingdom. There has been much work to do. He had to oversee the plans to rebuild the parts of the city destroyed in the war, see to it that the widows and children of the fallen soldiers were being cared for, and arrange the king's royal wedding. That meant he had been spending his breakfasts and lunches with advisors and courtiers in order to get all the work done. Meanwhile, dinner was always taken in the great hall and was a public affair. Today, however, the king had finished morning petitions early enough to be able to enjoy a lunch with only his closest friends, including Faramir himself.

The dining room they sat in now was small, but elegant. Seated around the table with Faramir was Elessar, Arwen, and Legolas. Gimli and Éowyn, Faramir's betrothed, would also have been invited, of course, but both were currently in Rohan. Éowyn had gone to visit her brother Éomer, and Gimli had accompanied her in order to inspect the Glittering Caves again in the interest of starting his dwarven colony there.

Even now with his friends, however, he could not fully set aside the role of steward.

"Is everything prepared for the feast tonight in honour of the delegation from Eryn Lasgalen?" He asked Arwen who, as queen, was responsible for overseeing the banquet.

"Of course." Arwen replied, without taking offence.

"Excellent." Faramir replied. "And did you-"

"Do not concern yourself with that now." Legolas interrupted him smoothly. "You are worrying too much. Just eat and enjoy your meal with your friends."

Faramir knew that Legolas thought him foolish to be so worried about the elves visit, but he wanted to ensure that everything went flawlessly. Over the past few weeks he had spent much time with Legolas and had quickly overcome his awkwardness around the prince. Faramir had even grown close enough to Legolas that he had told him of his fear that he would do something to anger or offend the elves during the visit. Legolas had quickly done his best to assure him that no such thing would happen. Faramir still had his doubts, however. He knew that King Thranduil was both a formidable enemy and a worthy ally. He would much prefer to have him as the latter. For the moment though, he decided to heed his friend's admonition and enjoy his meal. He turned to the queen again. This tone to enquired how her morning had been.

At that moment the door opened to reveal several servants bearing the next course. One of the servants, a young girl stepped behind Faramir to set the plate down in front of him. Faramir smiled at her kindly in thanks, but she did not return the smile. The servant, Saereth, was the daughter of the former head chef of the palace kitchens. Faramir had dismissed him shortly after Elessar's wedding, after he had heard several unkind remarks from the chef about the king being ensorcelled by the elf witch. Saereth silently turned her back on the steward and walked back into the kitchen.

* * *

><p>"Welcome, my friends." King Elessar addressed those gathered for the feast. "It is with great joy that I share this meal with you all in honour of our friends from the great realm of Eryn Lasgalen. It is my hope that everyone partake in this opportunity to eat, drink, and be merry as good friends in this long awaited time of peace. Let the feast begin."<p>

Faramir sat down at the high table after the king ended his speech. The delegation from Eryn Lasgalen, which was comprised of four representatives of Greenwood and their guards, were seated order the high table in a seating arrangement that had been painstakingly thought out days before. He had struggled to find an order that would allow everyone to be seated in places that would not offend them, nor near anyone who would cause disputes with one another. So far, he thought that everything had gone fairly smoothly. The elf seated to his left, Miluiron, had been very polite and agreeable. Meanwhile, the elf on his right, Thalaron, was in deep conversation with Legoals, whom Faramir had learned was a close friend of his.

Farther down the high table things were not going so well. Trastaron, one of King Elessar's advisors, glared at the elf across from him. He had not bothered trying to converse with him. He knew that all elves were haughty and thought themselves better than humans. The elf, Saeledhel, was used to this cold treatment from mortals. He ignored the arrogant human, and went about eating his dinner silently.

As the dinner came to an end Thalaron turned to him.

"Lord Faramir." He addressed him. "Prince Legolas has informed me that you are a skilled archer. Perhaps you would be interested in a friendly competition tomorrow morning?"

Faramir smiled at the elf. He had seen Legolas' skill with the bow, and knew he would humiliate himself in a contest with any elf. However, a competition was an excellent way to forge friendships with the elves, and if he joined them it was more likely that other men would do so as well. He was willing to sacrifice his pride for that opportunity.

"Thank you for the kind invitation." He replied. "I would be delighted to join in your contest tomorrow"

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

If you're interested, the name Saereth means bitter, Miluiron means friendly, Thalaron means stalwart, Trastaron means to harass, and Saeledhel means wise elf.

Thank you for reading. Please review and let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

Poisonous Friends 2

Chapter 2: A Rainy Ending for a Perfect Day

Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy belongs to J. R. R. Tolkien. I'm writing this for fun, not money.

* * *

><p>The next morning was bright and sunny. It was likely to storm in the evening, but for now the weather was perfect for an archery contest.<p>

Faramir was currently watching with admiration as the elves warmed up before the contest. Every shot the elves took landed in the centre circle without fail.

Watching them Faramir felt deep admiration for their skill. As well as something else. For a moment he couldn't identify the feeling, which seemed to cause his heart to twist in his chest. It was envy, he realised. Men could dedicate their whole lives to archery, yet never surpass the skill of the elves. The elves who could spend ages perfecting their technique, who could move quicker than any human, who, from all the way across the archery range, could see the targets in perfect detail. Watching the elves practicing now, he could begin to understand why some men felt such hatred for the elves. They envied them, and so did he.

His thoughts were interrupted by announcement that they would be starting soon, and Legolas calling out for the competitors to take their places on the line a fair distance away from the targets. Faramir went to take his place along the others.

Legolas, to Faramir's surprise, had volunteered to officiate the tournament rather than taking part in it. He had made the announcement at breakfast that morning, and Faramir had mocked him good-naturedly in reply, asking if he feared to be defeated.

Legolas had smiled, amused by the joke that only a week ago Faramir would not have dared to verbalise.

"Nay." He said in a placid manner, which showed that he was well aware of his skill in archery. "I merely thought it might be prudent to have a judge who could not be accused of any unfair prejudices."

He was right of course, and Faramir realised he was not the only one had noticed the tension that existed among some of both races. Faramir did not doubt that Legolas' foresight would be beneficial. As he one of the elves, that race would not be able to complain of unfair treatment, and as one of the Nine Walkers, the men respected him too much to accuse him of any bias.

The contest consisted of multiple rounds. Each round, the competitors received points based off their results, and the archers who received the most points advance to the next round.

A large group had gathered around the archery field, eager to watch the competition. Several men had requested to join the competition and been warmly welcomed.

After the end of the second round, Faramir wondered if he had been foolish to think this contest would bring about any good will between men and elves. Not a single elf had been eliminated yet, only men. This made sense as there had been far more men in the contest then elves, but looking around he saw several in the crowd looking discontented with the competition's results. In the third round, however, one of the elves was eliminated along with another host of men. After that, the tension in the crowd seemed to ease somewhat. The elf, whom Faramir recognized as Miluiron, took his lost good-naturedly. He ignored the taunts of his fellow elves, and instead congratulated one of the men who had scored higher than him, although he too had been eliminated that round.

Faramir was pleased to see that the remaining men in the tournament were doing a fair job of keeping up with their elven competition. A handful of Gondor's best archers managed to shot with accuracy equal to the elves, although none could quite match their quickness.

Faramir thought that he was doing well enough. Although not the best of Gondor's archers, he had trained since youth and, due to his many years as an Ithilien ranger, had much practice with a bow.

By the fifth round only four men, including Faramir, remained. Four of the elves were also still in the competition. Two of the elves he recognized from the feast as Thalaron and Saeledhel, the remaining two he presumed were among the guards who had accompanied the elves. All four of them were talented archers.

It was in the fifth round that Faramir was eliminated, along with two other men and the elf, Saeledhel.

Now there was only one man remaining. Faramir knew his name was Sceotan. He was a soldier, and had been for almost all of his life. He was well-known for his archery skill, and it had won him many honours, both in battle and in competitions.

As Faramir watched the contestants empty their quivers he could tell that the competitors were evenly matched. This was the round that would determine the final two competitors, and looking at the targets Faramir could tell their scores must be close.

The crowd waited eagerly to hear Legolas' declaration, but few were pleased when he announced who would be moving on the next round. Thalaron and one of the elven guards had won the round.

Sceotan's loss was met with various reactions. Some among the crowd were disappointed and some angry, but none of those reactions were as prominent as Sceotan's. His face turning scarlet, whether it was with rage or embarrassment Faramir wasn't sure, he stormed towards Legolas. He shouted in his face (loudly enough to pain someone even without elven hearing) that Legolas was cheating him of his points.

After listening to the man's tirade for a moment, Faramir understood. One of Sceotan's arrows had landed close to the line separating the first circle and the second. If a human had been judging, he would have had to approach the target to see exactly where it had landed. Legolas did not. Faramir realised that, in his distrust of elves, Sceotan thought that Legolas had neglected to check where his arrow landed so that he could give him fewer points, allowing the elves to win.

It was true that with human sight, judging the arrow from Legolas' distance would be impossible. Yet, Legolas did not know that. He saw only a man who could not accept defeat, and he quickly dismissed his claims.

Eventually, Sceotan stormed back to the warrior's quarters, and the competition continued. Yet not many in the crowd seemed focused on the contest, after the incident that had just occurred and now that it was merely a contest between elves.

Soon the contest ended and Legolas declared Thalaron the victor, a proclamation that was met with much cheering from the elves and polite applauses and congratulations from most of the men.

The elves gathered around Thalaron, except for Legolas who came to sit beside Faramir.

"You shot well today." Legolas complimented him.

"Thank you." Normally such praise from Legolas, who's skill with a bow was legendary, would make Faramir elated. Right now, however, he was troubled, and Legolas noticed.

"What is the matter?" He questioned, seeming concerned.

"It is nothing." Faramir was unwilling to admit his worries to Legolas, but Legolas continued to look at him, concerned. After a moment, Faramir relented.

"I've noticed that some of the men seem...disinclined to accept the elves as friends." Faramir remembered whom he was speaking to and felt the need to defend his fellow men. "They have seen elves before, only heard stories told of them. I think...I think that they are uncertain how to react to them."

"It is not only men that think thusly." Legolas mentioned. As he did his eyes moved, perhaps unintentionally, to glance at someone among the crowd that was beginning to disperse. Faramir followed his gaze and saw another of the elven guards who had come to Minas Tirith. He had not participated in the archery contest, and while Faramir had not found this odd before, after seeing the way Legolas features seemed to tense slightly as he looked at the elf, he thought perhaps there was more to this story that he did not know.

"But do not despair." Legolas said after a moment, his tone and mood lightening. "There will always be some that will refuse to surrender their grudges, but not all will be that way. I do not doubt that there are many who would welcome a friendship between our races, perhaps they just need a little time to grow used to the idea."

"Now," Legolas said as he stood. "We both have duties that we neglected long enough this morning, but perhaps you would like to join my friends and I for wine this evening to celebrate Thalaron's victory?"

"Of course." Faramir accepted his invitation willingly.

Legolas replied with a pleased smile before leaving Faramir and approaching the elves who were gathered around Thalaron. Faramir watched as he joined in their animated conversation, and reflected upon his words. He had heard much grumbling about the elves recently, and none of it reflected any fond feelings for the beings, but perhaps Legolas was right. Perhaps such feelings would come with time.

* * *

><p>Author's Note-Due to the unrelenting tenacity of several reviews (or perhaps one <em>very<em> determined reviewer) I did decide to write another chapter even though I said this story's on hold. I don't know when I'm going to post the next chapter as I am pretty busy right now, and I'm currently working on several stories, but I hope you at least enjoyed this chapter.


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